The Missing Forces Book 1: Finding Forces
by melli-elle
Summary: The Blackness is surrounding Swirlpaw, but MoonClan is thriving. How will SunClan deal with the issues that come with no sun, moon, clouds and rain?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, or any of the ideas or words that come from it. I do, however, own this plot and the characters. Rock on!

Warriors: The Missing Forces Book 1: Finding Forces

Prologue

Joy ran out through SunClan. The sun had returned! They didn't know where it had gone, but now it was back. Their leader, a pretty light brown she-cat named Hazelstar stepped forward.

"We have been saved! Our way of returning the peace must be known to the other clans! They must learn how to bring back the moon, the clouds and the rain back to the mountains!" she yowled, and SunClan let out a yowl in reply. All accept one small apprentice, a small blue-grey she-cat named Azurepaw. She couldn't get it out of her head how it had happened. How they had supposedly brought the sun back. By killing those who did even the slightest thing wrong? Her sister, a darker grey she-cat named Mistpaw had been killed because she ate a mouse before feeding the clan. Her mother's sister, a ginger she-cat named Rubystone had been killed because she disobeyed Hazelstar. What was SunClan coming to? Could they really force the other clans to kill their own as well; and if they did, would that really bring the other forces of nature back?

What was a small medicine cat apprentice to do?

Mistleaf: So, what did you think? I know it was a bit short, but the next chapter won't be as short. Review!


	2. Allegiances

**Allegianes**

* * *

**MoonClan**

**Leader:** Lightstar- a white she-cat with bright blue eyes.

**Deputy:** Tinderfoot- a black tom

Apprentice: Yarrowpaw

**Medicine cat:** Lasthope- a light ginger she-cat with a black tip

**Warriors**

Peachtail- a golden brown she-cat

Apprentice- Spiderpaw

Baskrun- a very quick tan coloured tom

Talonflame- a large ginger tom with large paws

Mudclaw- a dark brown, almost black, tom with white paws

Dirtstorm- a lighter brown, still dark, tom with a white muzzle

Crystalwing- a pretty white she-cat

Apprentice- Beetlepaw

Raventail- a black tom

Apprentice- Nightpaw

Brazenpelt- a reddish brown she-cat

Gingernose- a dark ginger she-cat with amber eyes

Apprentice: Swirlpaw

Kindnest- a light tabby tom

Patchfoot- a black and white patched tom

**Apprentices**

Swirlpaw- a brown she-cat with odd black swirls over her back

Spiderpaw- a black tom with long wiry legs

Yarrowpaw- a light golden she-cat with white paws and tail tip

Nightpaw- a black she-cat with dark brown eyes

Beetlepaw- a black tom with ginger dapples over his back

**Queens**

Duskmint- a brown tabby she-cat whose mate's deceased

**Kits-** Flightkit and Spiralkit

Sierralight- a light brown she-cat mother of Pandafoot's kits

**Kits-** Deerkit and Palekit

**Elders**

Brokenleaf- a dark tabby tom with a twisted leg

Clovertail- a once pretty dappled she-cat

* * *

**SunClan**

**Leader: **Hazelstar- A pretty light brown she-cat

**Deputy: **Dripfoot- A ginger tabby with strange grey paws

**Medicine Cat: **Dreamchill- A black she-cat with white feet and ice blue eyes

Apprentice: Azurepaw

**Warriors**

Picketmoon- A white tom with grey stripes down his back

Beverdam- A brown tom with a wide tail

Solarreed- A golden tom

**Apprentices**

Azurepaw- A blue-grey she-cat with dark blue eyes.

* * *

**RainClan**

**Leader: **Tricklestar- A white she-cat with grey dapples down her back

**Deputy: **Cedermoor- A dark ginger tom

**Medicine Cat: **Shrewsight- A beautiful ginger dappled she-cat

**Warriors**

Sharptail- A light brown she-cat with a skinny tail

Apprentice: Crimsonpaw

**Apprentices**

Crimsonpaw- A pale ginger tom

* * *

**CloudClan**

**Leader: **Fogstar- a dark gray tom with deep green eyes.

**Deputy: **Creampetal: A light golden she-cat with a sharp face.

**Medicine Cat: **Treepelt- A brown tom with bright green eyes

**Warriors**

Sightpool- An aging light grey she-cat with amazing sight.

Apprentice: Paddlepaw

**Apprentices**

Paddlepaw- A black and white tom with huge feet.

* * *

**The Blackness**

Mistpaw- A grey she-cat, formally an apprentice of SunClan

Rubystone- A dark ginger she-cat, formally a warrior of SunClan

Smallkit- Gray tabby kit formally of SunClan


	3. Chapter 1: MoonClan's Rebellion

Disclaimer: I don't own warriors, or any of the ideas that come from the books. I do, however own this plot and the characters.

The Missing Forces Book 1: Finding Forces

Chapter 1: MoonClan's Rebellion

A dark brown apprentice with odd black swirls along her back stepped out of the apprentice's cave in MoonClan. She had heard her from her best friend, a black tom with wiry legs; that SunClan had been found in their territory. Ever since the moon had disappeared, SunClan had stopped coming to gatherings. RainClan's leader, Tricklestar, was sure that SunClan had disappeared, along with the sun. But CloudClan's leader, Fogstar, was sure that they were just hiding until the sun returned. But whatever had happened, they were now in MoonClan territory, and wanting to talk to Lightstar.

"Is that them?" a female voice from beside her mewed, causing the young apprentice to turn to find an older apprentice by the name of Yarrowpaw, a golden she-cat. She was pointing at two older toms, a young she-cat apprentice, and an older she-cat that she had never seen before. "They seem harsh, don't they, Swirlpaw?"

Swirlpaw nodded, trying to remember back to the time before the moon left. She hadn't been an apprentice back then, but she had seen SunClan once or twice when they'd ventured to MoonClan. They had been a cheery clan, who were completely against fighting. She had even remembered that apprentice that stood beside the unknown she-cat. Azurepaw had journeyed through MoonClan when she had become a medicine cat apprentice to go to Mooncave.

"Azurepaw!" she yowled out and the blue-grey she-cat turned towards her. The look in the apprentice's eyes scared her. She didn't seem like the enthusiastic young apprentice that she had been the first time they'd met. Azurepaw nodded her head in recognition, before turning back to the unknown she-cat.

"Do you know her?" Yarrowpaw asked, and Swirlpaw shrugged.

"I used to. We met one time when I was still a kit."

* * *

All of MoonClan waited patiently near Lightstar's cave to hear what news that the SunClan cats had brought. Finally, Tinderfoot, the black deputy, stepped out of the cave, followed by the four SunClan cats, and finally Lightstar. Lightstar jumped to the rock that sat near her cave, and called out.

"All those old enough to jump the rocks gather hear under Moonrock."

"Come on," Yarrowpaw mewed, as the SunClan cats and Tinderfoot began to gather under the rock. Yarrowpaw and Swirlpaw padded towards the rock, just as Spiderpaw and his mentor, Peachtail, a golden brown she-cat, padded into camp. Peachtail went off to where the other warriors were sitting, while Spiderpaw sat down with Swirlpaw and Yarrowpaw.

"They're here!" he mewed, and Yarrowpaw nodded.

"They just got here. What are they doing here?" she asked, and Spiderpaw shrugged.

"You don't think the sun came back, do you?" Swirlpaw asked. In MoonClan, they were surrounded by caves and tall mountains, and only very rarely could see the sun, yet somehow, when the moon is in the sky, they could always see it. But it had disappeared, as had the clouds that always covered CloudClan, and the rain that always fell in RainClan.

"Cats of MoonClan, we have a visitor from SunClan. I've known this cat for most of my life; we met as apprentices at the gatherings of old. Now she tells me that she is leader of SunClan, and that Brightstar is dead," Lightstar meowed, as Swirlpaw sighed.

"That's why we didn't recognise her!" Yarrowpaw mewed, and Swirlpaw nodded, as Lightstar continued.

"She tells me she wishes to speak to the whole Clan. Eventually, she will be heading to both CloudClan and RainClan, to tell them what they have learnt as well. But here she is now, to tell you what is happening."

The brown she-cat stepped up to the rock, standing at the front of the rock as Lightstar stepped back.

"Cats of MoonClan, thank you for your kind hospitality. My name is Hazelstar, which Lightstar didn't mention. The three cats I have 

with me are my deputy, Dripfoot, our senior warrior Picketmoon, and our medicine cat's apprentice, Azurepaw."

The cats of MoonClan mewed out their welcomes to the three cats. Swirlpaw watched Azurepaw as she turned her head away from the MoonClan cats.

"Now, I will tell you that it was Brightstar's decision to stop going to gatherings. And it wasn't till after that that our medicine cat, Dreamchill, had a vision from StarClan telling us that the other clans had lost their name sakes as well. By then, Brightstar had already died. I kept by her rule, until now.

"Because now, the sun has returned!" she yowled, causing the MoonClan cats to gasp, as the two SunClan warriors watched them with wariness. Lightstar stepped forward.

"Do you have any idea how this happened, Hazelstar?" she asked, her voice timid, which Swirlpaw thought so unlike her leader. Hazelstar nodded, a proud look on her face.

"It came to us accidently, when my previous deputy, Bitterleaf, tried to kill me to take over as leader. She was killed in the fight, and the next morning, the sun came out for a second, and then disappeared again."

Swirlpaw turned to Yarrowpaw and Spiderpaw. What was Hazelstar getting at?

"We found out that it was the constant disobedience against the warrior code that had caused the sun to disappear. So when someone went against the warrior code, we killed them."

A gasp fell on MoonClan yet again, as Lightstar's head turned to Hazelstar in surprise. Swirlpaw hissed.

"They killed them?" Yarrowpaw hissed, as Spiderpaw unsheathed and sheathed his claws.

"How much did you consider being too much?" Lightstar asked, and Swirlpaw could hear the hiss in her voice.

"The slightest infringement. An apprentice fed herself before her clan, she was killed. A warrior disobeyed me, she was killed. A kit left the camp without a warrior. He was killed."

A yowl echoed through the camp. Swirlpaw turned to see Sierralight, a light brown queen, pulling a protective tail around her kits.

"Get that kit killer out of the camp, Lightstar!" she yowled, as MoonClan let out yowls of agreement. Lightstar turned to Hazelstar.

"As I said at the start of this meeting, Hazelstar, we have been friends for many moons. And we appreciate the knowledge you have granted us with..." Lighstar was interrupted by another yowl of annoyance, but Lightstar held up a tail for silence. "We appreciate the knowledge you have granted us with, but we will not follow your advice."

A yowl of agreement and praise went up towards Lightstar. Swirlpaw let out a breath of relief. How could she think Lightstar would do something like that? Hazelstar's face twisted in confusion as she watched her friend look at her in defiance.

"Very well, Lightstar," she mewed, bowing her head. "You know what's right for your clan. But the moon disappearing doesn't just affect you. It affects all the clans, which I will mention to both RainClan and CloudClan. Think about it. I will see you all again at the next gathering." She jumped down from the Moon Rock, and flicked her tail at her three clan mates to follow her, before padding out of the camp. Lightstar turned to Tinderfoot.

"Tinderfoot, take Baskrun and Talonflame and make sure they return to either their territory or one of the other clans," she mewed down to her deputy. Tinderfoot nodded, and flicked his tail at the two warriors that Lightstar had named. Lightstar turned back to her clan.

"Now, before Hazelstar arrived, today was supposed to be a day of ceremonies!" she yowled, and the clan let up a yowl of approval. "Dirtpaw, Mudpaw, step forward," she mewed, and the two older apprentices, both a deep brown, stepped forward, proudly looking up at Lightstar. "With StarClan looking down, I wish to make these two warriors. Do you both accept the responsibility?"

"I do!" meowed Dirtpaw proudly.

"I do," meowed Mudpaw, a little less enthusiastically.

"Then with StarClan's approval, Mudpaw, from this day on, you will be known as Mudclaw, and Dirtpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Dirtstorm."

"Mudclaw! Dirtstorm! Mudclaw! Dirtstorm!" Swirlpaw cheered the new warrior's on with as much enthusiasm as the rest of the clan.

"Now, as is tradition, Mudclaw and Dirtstorm will sit a silent vigil while the rest of us sleep. And now, will Beetlekit and Nightkit step forward?" she meowed, and two black kits stepped forward, and she-cat and a tom. The tom had ginger dapples down his back, making Swirlpaw guess that was Beetlekit. "Do you both agree to become apprentices, obey the warrior code, and learn the ways of MoonClan?" she asked, and both kits jumped up.

"I do!" they mewed at the same time, causing Swirlpaw to purr.

"Then with StarClan's approval, from this time until you become warriors, you will be known as Beetlepaw and Nightpaw. Crystalwing, step forward," Lightstar meowed, and the white she-cat stepped forward. Swirlpaw racked her memory; wasn't the newest warrior Lightstar's daughter? "You are the newest warrior of MoonClan, not including our two newest warriors. Will you teach Beetlepaw all that you know?"

"I will," the she-cat mewed, looking down at the apprentice.

"Very good. Raventail, please step forward," she meowed, and the black tom stepped forward. Swirlpaw remembered their mother, Brazenpelt, had told her that Raventail had been their father. "You are a brave warrior, and a strong hunter for MoonClan. Will you teach Nightpaw all that you know?" Raventail nodded his head.

"I will," the tom agreed, licking Nightpaw on the head as he did.

"Very good. Now, the clan will share a meal, before Mudclaw and Dirtstorm do their vigil," Lightstar yowled, jumping down from Moon Rock. Swirlpaw turned to Yarrowpaw.

"Well, this has been an interesting day," she mewed, and Yarrowpaw purred in amusement.

"You two going to come get something to eat?" Spiderpaw's voice came from behind them, and the three friends went off to get some food.

* * *

Mistleaf: O.k., so this chapters kind of introduction to the main characters of the story, as well as some fill ins with the ceremonies. More on the plot next chapter!


	4. Chapter 2: The Blackness

**Disclaimer:** I don't own warriors, or any of the ideas that come from the books. I do, however own this plot and the characters.

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Blackness**

Swirlpaw padded out of the apprentice's cave, yawning as the small light that fell through the Moon Crevice hit her lightly. She felt a light push from behind, and turned to find Yarrowpaw standing behind her.

"You're too slow," she mewed, a smile lighting her eyes. Swirlpaw poked her tongue out, before looking around the camp. The two new warriors were stretching at the entrance, waiting for an older warrior to tell them their vigil was over. Swirlpaw watched as Kindnest walked over to them, the light tabby tom mewing that they could go rest. Mudclaw and Dirtstorm nodded, and headed over to the warrior's den.

"I can't wait," Swirlpaw heard Yarrowpaw mew.

"You've only got about another moon, don't you?" she asked, and Yarrowpaw nodded.  
"Mudclaw and Dirtstorm was only a moon older than me," she mewed, looking at Mudclaw as he disappeared inside. Swirlpaw looked back at the apprentice's den, a purr rising in her throat as she realised Spiderpaw was still asleep. She padded away from Yarrowpaw, towards the nursery, just as Patchfoot, Sierralight's mate, padded out.

"Hello, Swirlpaw," mewed the black and white patched cat. Swirlpaw looked up at the tom.

"How are Deerkit and Palekit?" she asked, trying to poke her head past him. Patchfoot purred.

"They're fine. Are you off to visit your brother and sister again?" he asked, and Swirlpaw nodded. "Very well. Go on, but be quiet. Deerkit's still sleeping, and he gets awfully cranky when he's woken." He turned and padded away from the nursery, off to find Tinderfoot. Swirlpaw padded into the nursery, and seeing Sierralight licking her daughter, she mewed. Sierralight looked up, and smiled.

"Hey, Swirlpaw," she mewed, before looking over at the other nest that was being used. "Wake her up, she needs to eat." Swirlpaw looked over at the black she-cat that lay in the bed. The two kits who lay there, a black tom and a light brown she-cat curled up together. The light brown she-cat looked up as Swirlpaw turned to them.

"Swirlpaw!" she mewed and Swirlpaw sat down next to them.

"Hey, Flightkit," Swirlpaw returned, licking her on the head. The movement woke up the black tom, who had similar swirl patterns on his back to Swirlpaw, except his was brown swirls and black fur, the opposite of Swirlpaw's.

"Go back to sleep, Flightkit," he mewed, curling back around into his mother's stomach, causing the brown tabby she-cat to look up.

"Good morning, Swirlpaw," the she-cat mewed, looking at the rabbit that had been placed at her head.

"Tinderfoot left you a rabbit, Duskmint," she mewed, licking her mother's head.

"He still feels bad about his brother's death..."

Swirlpaw dipped her head. Her father had died just before Flightkit and Spiralkit had been born, and Tinderfoot, Spintail's brother, blamed himself for it.

"Mother, why does Deerkit sleep all the time?" Flightkit asked, padding over to the dark brown kit that slept under Sierralight.

"No, Flightkit! Don't wake him up!" Duskmint mewed, but it was too late. The small kit looked up at Flightkit, before swatting her in the face.

"Deerkit!" hissed Sierralight. "Apologise to Flightkit this instant!"

"Why?" the tom mewed. "She's the one that woke me up."

"Well, you shouldn't be sleeping the day through! What happens when you become an apprentice, and you have to get up early for a dawn patrol?"

"Well, then I'll wake up. Do I have to go on dawn patrol now, mother?"

"Well, no...

"Good. I'm going back to sleep," he mewed, before slowly padding to the other side of Sierralight, and curling up. Swirlpaw purred in amusement.

"He's going to be a handful as an apprentice," she mewed, and Sierralight nodded.

"I feel sorry for anyone who has him," she mewed, before curling up. Palekit, Deerkit's light pelted brother, padded over to Flightkit.

"I'll play!" he mewed, and Flightkit's eyes lighted up with a smile.

"O.k.! You coming, Spiralkit?" she asked, calling over her shoulder.

"No thanks. I'm with Deerkit. It's way too early to be up." He curled back up against Duskmint, as Flightkit and Palekit began tumbling around.

"Swirlpaw!" came a she-cat's voice, and Swirlpaw turned to look out of the nursery. Gingernose was standing there, her paw tapping against the ground. Swirlpaw turned back to Duskmint.

"Go on, she'll want to train you extra hard after what Hazelstar said," the queen mewed, and Swirlpaw nodded, racing out of the den, and nearly running into Gingernose, the tall ginger she-cat looking down at her.

"I was going to ask Peachtail to join us with Spiderpaw on our hunting lesson today, but if you'd rather spend the day in the nursery..."

"No no! I'd rather go hunting!" she meowed, and Gingernose purred in amusement.

"That's what I thought."

* * *

The four cats padded down the mountain to the base, where RainClan's trees met MoonClan's mountain. This was the best place for hunting on MoonClan territory. Spiderpaw bounced ahead, energetic as always to hunt.

"Come on, I want to get the first squirrel!" he yowled, causing a purr of amusement out of Peachtail.

"You've been trying for a quarter moon now!" Spiderpaw poked his tongue out at her before turning to Swirlpaw.

"You believe I can do it, don't you?" he asked, and Swirlpaw nodded.

"Of course!" she mewed, as Spiderpaw rushed off to the trees at the edge of the mountain.

"Watch out for RainClan!" Peachtail hissed after him, before sniffing the air, looking around.

"The prey's getting low," she mewed to Gingernose.

"Yes, I noticed. Leaf bare's getting closer," she replied, and Peachtail nodded, before turning to Swirlpaw.

"Why don't you go after Spiderpaw?" she asked. "You know how easily he gets in trouble."

"Yes Peachtail!" Swirlpaw mewed, before running off after Spiderpaw.

* * *

As the hunting patrol returned to the crevice, they dropped their prey in the fresh kill pile, before taking some for themselves.

"Swirlpaw, take some over to the nursery," Gingernose told her apprentice, and Swirlpaw nodded.

"Spiderpaw, take that squirrel to the elders," Peachtail mewed, but Spiderpaw groaned.

"I wanted to share my first squirrel with Swirlpaw and Yarrowpaw!" he mewed, and Peachtail bowed her head.

"Ok, but then you have to take them the big rabbit you found."

"Ok!" he meowed, and grabbed the rabbit before bounding off. Swirlpaw took one of her own rabbits, and dragged it over to the nursery, just as Sierralight stepped out.

"Oh, did you bring that for us?" she asked, and Swirlpaw nodded. "Oh, thank you! I was just about to get something and see if Patchfoot wanted to eat with me, but I bet Duskmint is hungry. She never did touch that rabbit Tinderfoot gave her. I ate instead so it didn't turn to crow food. Deerkit's asleep again."

"Thanks, Sierralight. I'll try to be quiet."

"Oh, no need for that. Palekit and Flightkit have been falling all over him all day. That kit can sleep through anything."

Swirlpaw padded into the den, and found her mother with her head in her paws.

"Duskmint?" Swirlpaw asked attentively.

"Oh, Swirlpaw. You brought me a rabbit," she mewed, looking at her daughter. "Did Tinderfoot ask you to bring it?"

Swirlpaw shook her head. "No. Gingernose told me to bring it to the nursery." She knew her mother would be more inclined to eat it if it wasn't brought especially for her. She set it down, before turning to Spiralkit and Flightkit.

"You two being good for Duskmint?" she asked, and Spiralkit shrugged his shoulders.

"She hasn't complained," he mewed lightly.

* * *

After spending most of the evening with her mother, Swirlpaw decided to go to sleep. She walked over to the apprentice's cave, and looked inside. The two newest apprentices, Beetlepaw and Nightpaw, were curled up together in one corner, while Yarrowpaw and Spiderpaw were curled up in another. When Swirlpaw padded in, Spiderpaw looked up.

"About time you came. You need your sleep," he ordered, and Swirlpaw padded over to him and swatted him on the head.

"I don't need you telling me what to do," she mewed, before curling up on the other side of him, and falling asleep.

_Swirlpaw woke to find herself surrounded in blackness. At first, she just thought that she had woken up too early in the morning, and that her head was buried in Spiderpaw's pelt. But when she moved, she could see herself perfectly._

"_Where am I?" she asked no one inparticular._

"_If we knew that, we'd tell you," came a voice that Swirlpaw didn't recognise._

"_Who's there?" she yowled, and a light grey she-cat appeared to her left. At first, Swirlpaw thought it was Azurepaw, but soon realised that her pelt was more silver then blue._

"_Mistpaw?" she asked attentively, and the she-cat nodded. "But you're dead!"_

"_Yes, I know," she replied, looking at her feet. Swirlpaw looked around. This wasn't the StarClan she imagined._

"_Where are we?" Swirlpaw asked, and Mistpaw looked around._

"_It's alright, you can come out," she mewed, and a small grey tabby kit padded out from the blackness. "This is Smallkit. He was killed also by Hazelstar in cold blood."_

"_What does cold blood mean?" Swirlpaw asked, not taking her eyes off the small kit._

"_It means that the opponent was defenceless. My mother's sister, Rubystone, was also killed in cold blood." A dark ginger she-cat stepped forward. _

"_And you were too?" Swirlpaw asked, and Mistpaw nodded._

"_We all sacrificed our lives so the sun could return. But we didn't realise it would bring us here."_

"_Where is here?" Mistpaw looked at her paws._

"_we don't know, Swirlpaw. That's the thing. We've come to know it as the Blackness, because that's all that's here. Black."_

_Swirlpaw looked around. She could hear the scared mews of other cats from what sounded like all ages._

"_All the cats..."_

"_That have been killed in cold blood are here," Mistpaw finished. Swirlpaw nodded, and turned back to Mistpaw._

"_What does this have to do with me?" she asked, and Mistpaw shrugged._

"_I don't know that. If I knew that, I would tell you. Sorry," she mewed, as she started to disappear._

"_Wait!" hissed Swirlpaw. "What about Azurepaw?!"_

"_Just help her when she asks for it!" Mistpaw hissed back, as Swirlpaw fell to the ground._

Swirlpaw woke with a start. Had that just been a dream from StarClan? Or something more? She turned to Spiderpaw, who was snoring lightly at her side. She sighed, before curling up against him again, and falling into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Mistleaf:** Well, that's the second chapter. And thank you to my first review for any of my warriors fan fics. I took your advice into consideration, and changed that which needed to be changed. I even got a second opinion on it! Great advice. R&R!!


	5. Chapter 3: Leaving MoonClan Behind

Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors or any of the the ideas that come from there. I do own this plot and the characters.

Chapter 3: Leaving MoonClan Behind

* * *

Swirlpaw waited for Gingernose to come out of the warrior's den. She watched as Yarrowpaw and Spiderpaw ate a vole together next to the apprentice's den. She couldn't get the dream out of her mind. Why would Mistpaw come to her? Why wouldn't she talk to Azurepaw? Swirlpaw wasn't even in SunClan.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Gingernose padded out of the warrior's den.

"You ready?" she meowed and Swirlpaw nodded.  
"Wait!" came a mew from behind the two she-cats. They turned around to find Patchfoot calling out to Gingernose.

"What is it, Patchfoot?" she asked, and Patchfoot looked down at the apprentice.

"Lightstar wants to talk to Swirlpaw."

"Why?"

"I don't know. She just told me it was urgent."

Gingernose looked down at Swirlpaw, who was listening with wide eyes. "Very well. Go find Lightstar, Swirlpaw," she meowed, and Swirlpaw bounded off towards Lightstar's den.

As she reached the cave that Lightstar lived in, she let out a mew to let her know she was here.

"Come in, Swirlpaw," came Lightstar's voice, and Swirlpaw stepped into the cave. She saw Lightstar, Tinderfoot, and to her biggest surprise, Azurepaw sitting there.

"Azurepaw!" she mewed, running over to her friend. She hadn't seen her in a moon, ever since Hazelstar had told MoonClan about the sacrifices. "Was it really Mistpaw they had killed?"

Azurepaw nodded, and Swirlpaw hang her head, as tears began to form in her eyes for her friend.

"Wait! I'm not here to tell you about that, Swirlpaw!" she mewed, and Swirlpaw looked up.

"Then why are you here?" she asked, and Azurepaw looked at Lightstar who nodded. She turned back to Swirlpaw.

"StarClan came to me. They told me they had nothing to do with the sun, moon, clouds and rain disappearing, but what Hazelstar was doing was in fact helping it."

"What?!" Swirlpaw hissed. How could StarClan condone killing kits and apprentices? Lightstar raised her tail to quiet her.

"Let her finish, Swirlpaw," the leader mewed, and Swirlpaw nodded. Azurepaw continued.

"They don't like it, though. And they want to find out why this is happening. They want one apprentice from every clan to make a journey."

"To where?" she asked.

"All they said is to follow the path of the moon," she mewed, causing Tinderfoot to hiss.  
"But the moon's gone. How can you follow it's path?" he asked. Swirlpaw looked out of the cave at the light sky, looking to where the light shone through the crevice. When the moon had been there, it had followed the crevice...

"The Moon Cave's tunnel!" she mewed, and Azurepaw smiled.

"Yep. Isn't that the path of the moon, and it lights up the Moon Tunnel just before dawn?" she meowed, and Lightstar nodded.

"Azurepaw here will be SunClan's apprentice. You will be MoonClan's apprentice. The other two have been contacted by StarClan, and will meet you at the Moon Cave in two nights time."  
"But what about Spiderpaw and Yarrowpaw?" Swirlpaw asked. She couldn't leave her best friends behind!

"Yarrowpaw is becoming a warrior soon enough. And Spiderpaw wasn't chosen," Tinderfoot explained.

"But how do you know I'm the chosen? StarClan didn't say anything to me," she mewed, thinking back to Mistpaw's dream. She hadn't said anything about this. Was Mistpaw not in StarClan? Azurepaw spoke up.

"StarClan told me that for some reason they couldn't contact you," she mewed, causing Swirlpaw to stand.

"Why not? I've got nothing against StarClan! I'm not a medicine cat apprentice, but are the other two? I don't understand!"

Lightstar padded forward and wrapped her tail around Swirlpaw to calm her down. Swirlpaw sat back down, looking at the ground. Azurepaw stepped forward.

"I know you don't want to leave your friends," she mewed, licking her friend on the ear. "But this is for the clans."

* * *

"Your leaving?!" Spiderpaw's words were exactly what Swirlpaw had expected. The black tom was pacing outside the apprentice's den, waiting for Yarrowpaw to return with Tinderfoot. "I can't believe your leaving. And to find the moon, no less. I mean, it's the moon! How are you supposed to find it? It's in Silverpelt! I'd think that you'd have to die, except you're off to find rain and clouds as well!" He collapsed next to Swirlpaw, his wiry legs giving way to the constant pacing. "Why can't I come as well? I could protect you... you never were that great a warrior..."

"Hey!"

"Sorry," Spiderpaw mewed, and Swirlpaw purred.

"It's ok. I understand you feel left out..." she started, but Spiderpaw shook his head.

"It's not that. I'm just going to miss you," he mewed, and Swirlpaw budged closer to her best friend.

"I'm going to miss you too," she mewed, curling up with him to keep him company.

* * *

Swirlpaw sniffed the air. How could she of lost Gingernose? It was the day before the night she had to go to the Moon Cave, and Gingernose had taken her out for one last training session, and they'd been hunting by Rock Peak. She looked up at the bright sky, that now that she saw it, did indeed have it's sun back. She'd been thinking about it in the last few days, and had realised that Azurepaw was the only one in SunClan (besides the queen whose kit had been killed) who would actually defy Hazelstar. Because in SunClan, it would be punished by death.

"Swirlpaw! Where are you?" came Gingernose's voice to Swirlpaw's ears. Swirlpaw jumped onto the nearest rock, and saw the ginger fur looking around.

"Up here!" Swirlpaw mewed, causing Gingernose to look up. The ginger warrior bounded up the few rocks that separated them.

"I was worried for a second there," she mewed, and touched noses with her apprentice. She jumped off the rock Swirlpaw had been standing on and padded up towards the top of the mountain. "Come on, let's go see the sunset of sun drown place one last time," she mewed, and Swirlpaw followed her. Swirlpaw remembered the first time Gingernose had taken her up there, when she was still a kit. They padded through the jagged rocks that lead to the top of the mountain, and finally arrived on Rock Peak, just as the sun was about to set.

"It's beautiful," Swirlpaw mewed, watching it with amazement.

"It's hard to believe that it took killing innocent cats to bring it back," Gingernose replied, and Swirlpaw looked up at her mentor.

"Did it really disappear? I didn't come up this high much after that. You never brought me up here," she mewed, and Gingernose shrugged.

"That's because there was nothing to see up here without the sun," she replied, as the sun fell behind the water. Gingernose jumped down from the rock, followed closely by Swirlpaw.

* * *

Spiderpaw met Swirlpaw and Gingernose as they entered the camp.

"Lightstar's holding a clan feeding to show you off. The other apprentices should be here soon," he mewed, not looking Swirlpaw in the eyes. Swirlpaw felt a wave of emotion hit her 

like a rock. She was going to leave her best friend. Her breath turned short. She would miss him so much.

"Cats of MoonClan! Gather under Moon Rock for a Clan meeting!" Lightstar yowled out, and Spiderpaw walked away from Swirlpaw, and towards Moon Rock. Gingernose nudged Swirlpaw from behind, causing her to stumble forward. She padded over to Moon rock and sat down. Lightstar mewed in amusement.

"No, Swirlpaw, come sit up here," she ordered, and Swirlpaw jumped up onto Moon rock, sitting beside the tall white she-cat that was her leader. "Swirlpaw, if you succeed, you will be a hero or MoonClan," she meowed, and the cats let up a yowl of agreement. "And even if you don't, you'll still be welcome back as a warrior, unless MoonClan is not here when you return."

Lightstar's words shocked the clan into silence. Swirlpaw could see Spiderpaw watching in fright, Yarrowpaw sitting next to him. Swirlpaw's two best friends were going to be on their own. But she knew they could make it.

* * *

She could feel the cold as Azurepaw came over the ridge that led to MoonClan's camp. The blue-grey she-cat touched noses with Swirlpaw, as she sat down beside her.

"Beaverdam wouldn't let me leave," she mewed, explaining her lateness. "I didn't see the other two on my way, though."

"Who are the other two?" Swirlpaw asked, as RainClan's scent filled her nose. She looked up, and found a light ginger tom looking at the two apprentices.

"Crimsonpaw," mewed Azurepaw, as she nodded her head. The tom nodded his head in recognition, before turning to Swirlpaw.

"I don't believe we've met," he mewed, and Swirlpaw stood.

"My name's Swirlpaw," she mewed, as Crimsonpaw touched noses with her. He then turned to Azurepaw.

"Where's Paddlepaw?" he asked, and Swirlpaw couldn't help but think that was an odd name.

"He should be along any minute," Azurepaw replied. "CloudClan is the furthest away from MoonClan." Just as she finished talking, a black and white tom padded over the ridge. The first thing about him that Swirlpaw noticed was his huge feet.

"Am I late?" he mewed, looking from apprentice to apprentice to apprentice.

* * *

"Ok, first things first. We need to pick someone to make the decisions," Crimsonpaw mewed, and Paddlepaw groaned.

"Can't we just, I don't know, vote on everything?" he asked, and Crimsonpaw hissed. Azurepaw rolled her eyes at Swirlpaw, who purred in amusement. Those two were fun to watch, and somehow, Swirlpaw could tell they would never get on very well. The four padded through MoonClan, only a couple of warrior's still awake, protecting the clan. Crystalwing, Talonflame and Brazenpelt all bowed their heads at the apprentices as they passed by.

"Why are they acting like that?" Crimsonpaw hissed to Swirlpaw. "Their all older then us."

"They think we're going to return heroes," Swirlpaw replied. "It puts even more weight on my shoulders though."

"Don't worry about it," Paddlepaw meowed, stretching his back as he bought up the rear of the group. "Chances are that if we don't succeed, we will never get back."

Azurepaw hissed at Paddlepaw.

"I don't think that helps," she hissed, and Paddlepaw shrugged, as he bounded further ahead. Azurepaw turned to Swirlpaw.

"I've been thinking about something," she mewed. "When you said StarClan never mentioned it to you, does that mean you've talked to StarClan, but they didn't tell you?" Swirlpaw looked at her front paws.

"I'm not sure," she mewed, turning to look at the blue-grey she-cat. "I had a dream, of Mistpaw. I thought it was weird, because I've never even met her. But she said something about her being killed in cold blood, and that she needed my help. That was the night before you came and told us what you'd dreamt... Azurepaw?" She realised that Azurepaw had stopped walking. "What's wrong?"

"When StarClan came to me, they told me that Mistpaw had never arrived in their depths," she mewed, looking at her paws. "And that that might have something to do with the sun returning, because Hazelstar sacrificed her."

"Does that mean the kit and the warrior that were sacrificed never arrived either?" asked Swirlpaw, and Azurepaw nodded.

"And neither did the deputy that was killed, though they said she probably went to the Dark Forest." Swirlpaw looked ahead at Crimsonpaw and Paddlepaw.

"I think this is more than any of us..."

Mistleaf: So this chapter was a bit longer than the other two chapters. Though hardly much more at all.


	6. Chapter 4: Forgotten Memories

A/N: I know, super late update to my story, but I decided that I wasn't going to let the mentions about my terrible naming system get me down any longer. I've kept the names, because they make sense to me, even if they don't anyone else. Alright, thank you for the wait.

* * *

Missing Forces Chapter 4: Forgotten Memories

The wind was getting stronger as the four apprentices walked through the moon tunnel, Azurepaw frowning as the moon cave got closer.

"How does MoonClan stand all this wind..." Crimsonpaw complained for the fifth time, frowning at Swirlpaw.

"We just do, Crimsonpaw," she mewed back, shaking her fur. "Besides, the crevice walls keep out most of the wind... I don't know where this wind is coming from..."

Paddlepaw jumped ahead, grinning at the others. "A bit of wind never hurt anyone! We get wind all the time in CloudClan." The tom nodded his head, smiling at the others, before bounding ahead a little, sniffing some.

Azurepaw shook her head, before looking at Crimsonpaw. "We'll have to stop in the MoonCave and sleep while the sun's out. We don't want to emerge on the other side until late afternoon."

"What's on the other side of the mooncave?" Swirlpaw asked, blinking a little at Azurepaw.

"Nothing but blinding sun and snow."

"Snow?" came Crimsonpaw's mew. "What's snow?"

"Something that you'll never see in RainClan," Swirlpaw replied, her tail flicking. "We get it when it gets really cold in the mountains."

"We don't get it in SunClan either, but we see it in both CloudClan and MoonClan." Azurepaw was about to continue, when she stopped, blinking, and frowned ahead of her. "We shouldn't be at the Mooncave yet..."

"Maybe it's just another turn..." Swirlpaw insisted, before blinking. "Where'd Paddlepaw go..."

"Paddlepaw!" Crimsonpaw yelled out, before bounding forward.

"Crimsonpaw, wait!" Azurepaw yelled, frowning, before going ahead slowly, looking down. Swirlpaw followed slowly behind her, frowning.

"They're both rather reckless, aren't they..." Swirlpaw insisted, before shaking her head as they reached Crimsonpaw who was stopped.

"I don't understand..." Crimsonpaw asked, looking up at dead end they'd come to.

Azurepaw frowned, her tail flicking. "This can't be right... I've walked this path plenty of times before, and there was never a wall here before... Swirlpaw, what are you doing?"

The she-cat stepped up to the wall, sniffing at it, and blinking. "Paddlepaw, get over here."

A laughing mew was heard from the other side of the wall, and as if the rock wasn't there at all, Paddlepaw stepped through. "I have no idea what this is, but I accidently ran through rock, and I didn't think I was that heavy."

Azurepaw stepped up to the rock, pushing her paw through it, blinking as it dissapeared. "How strange... This has never happened before..."

"Perhaps it's guarding the Mooncave?"

"Then I would of seen it before." Azurepaw stepped through the rock, even as Swirlpaw and Crimsonpaw looked at each other before following her.

* * *

The following day MoonClan were rising to alarm screeches from the morning patrol. Lightstar rose from her den, frowning as she saw Tinderfoot and Baskrun race into camp, Yarrowpaw at their tails.

"Tinderfoot! What is the meaning of this?"

"It's SunClan!" Baskrun yelled, and it was only then that Lightstar noticed the huge gash down Baskrun's side.

"Someone fetch Lasthope!" Lightstar yelled, even as Mudclaw ran off to find the medicine cat. "Tinderfoot, what happened?"

"It was SunClan. We were patrolling their border when they attacked us, out of nowhere..."

"They kept claiming we were doing wrong!" Yarrowpaw yelled. "I had to stop the apprentice from killing Baskrun!"

Lightstar frowned, her tail flickering as she looked over her warriors. "Gather the still sleeping cats. I need to hold a Clan meeting. SunClan has declared war."

Yarrowpaw watched as her leader stepped back into her den, her heart racing at the events that had just happened. She raced over to Tinderfoot, who was watching Lasthope care for Baskrun.

"Tinderfoot, what's going to happen?"

"I don't know..." he mewed, shaking his head some. "I've known Solarreed since he was just an apprentice, to have him attack me without so much as looking at me..."

"What will Lightstar do?"

"That's for her alone to decide..." The black tom looked down at his young apprentice and his eyes shimmered with a smile. "But you, Yarrowpaw, were amazing... I've never seen anyone fight as well as you. You will do well in the fight ahead... I think it's time you became a warrior."

"Me?" Yarrowpaw mewed, looking up at Tinderfoot. "A warrior? You're sure?"

The black tom nodded, his eyes light. "With Baskrun out of it, we'll need a new one anyway, and you are the oldest apprentice, and I think your ready."

"What if I'm not? What if I screw up?"

Tinderfoot looked down at his apprentice gently, before leaning down and licking her shoulder. "You won't. I know that Lightstar was planning on making Deerkit and Palekit apprentices, so I'll suggest to her to make you a warrior at the same time."

Yarrowpaw bowed her head, looking away from Tinderfoot. "Thank you, Tinderfoot..."

The deputy nodded, and begin to walk away as several cats walked up to him, asking him to recall his tale. Yarrowpaw looked around, trying to spot Spiderpaw, and noticed him sitting and sharing a vole with Beetlepaw and Nightpaw. She bounded over to the three of them, beaming.

"Guess what! Guess what!"

"You caught a hawk?" asked Nightpaw, tilting her head at the older she-cat.

"You want some vole?" Asked Spiderpaw, his eyes smiling at Yarrowpaw.

"You want us to play mindless guessing games with you because you think we're still kits?" snapped Beetlepaw, causing Yarrowpaw to frown.

"No... I'm becoming a warrior soon! Tinderfoot told me today!"

Spiderpaw jumped up, and moved to rub necks with Yarrowpaw. "Congradulations, Yarrowpaw! That's great! I can't wait till they let me be a warrior!"

Nightpaw nodded her congradulations, before returning to the vole. "Super."

"Thanks you two..." Yarrowpaw paused, before sighing a little. "I wish Swirlpaw was here to see it..."

"I'm sure she'll be happy for you, no matter where she is..." Spiderpaw insisted, and Yarrowpaw watched as her friend looked towards the Moon Tunnel, causing Yarrowpaw to frown. Yes, in someways, the golden she-cat has always been a little jealous of Spiderpaw and Swirlpaw's friendship, but that wasn't what she needed to worry about now.

"And you think you're ready?" Beetlepaw insisted, his ears pulled back. "You're reactions are like that of a kit, yet you expect to be a warrior..."

Yarrowpaw hissed, but she was saved from having to reply as Crystalwing walked up, followed by Raventail.

"Come on, Beetlepaw, Raventail says we have to go out hunting now..."

"Because Crystalwing hasn't been taking you out enough..." the black tom came up beside the young she-cat, his eyes pinned back at her. "So the four of us will be going out together. Come along, Nightpaw."

The youngest appretnice stood up, only to be followed by her brother a second later, who was grumbling as the four of them walked out of camp.

"Beetlepaw and Crystalwing make a surprisingly good combination," Yarrowpaw insisted, watching them leave.

"That's because they're both as lazy as each other," Spiderpaw insisted. "They should give Deerkit to her aswell, then Crystalwing won't have to do anything at all."

Yarrowpaw couldn't help but mew in laughter, looking at Spiderpaw. "Maybe I'll get Palekit? I'd much rather Palekit then Deerkit anyway, she's so nice and sweet."

"I doubt she'd give you an apprentice straight away," came a mewing laugh from beside them, and both cats turned to see Dirtstorm and Mudclaw looking at them. "One of us will get an apprentice before you, Yarrowpaw. We've been warriors nearlly a full moon now. Your still an apprentice."

"Wake up and smell the catnip, Yarrowpaw," Mudclaw added on, his tail flicking in amusement. "Your basically still a kit." The two of them mewed as they walked off, chuckling.

"What, are they in cohorts with Beetlepaw?" Spiderpaw asked, his ears back. Yarrowpaw smiled, before stepping forward and licking Spiderpaw's ear.

"Don't think about it, Spiderpaw, those two were never very nice to us."

"I know..." Yarrowpaw sighed, before shaking her head a little, and heading back to the apprentices' den.

* * *

_Swirlpaw awoke again, in the same black nothing as last time, when she heard a meow from behind her and turned. Blinking, she noticed in front of her stood a tall, black tom with a strange brown swirl down his back._

_"Fa...ther?" Swirlpaw whispered stepping towards the older tom, who smiled at her gently. _

_"Hello, Swirlpaw, how are you? Are you well?"_

_"Your here in the Blackness aswell?"_

_The older tom, who was once known as Spintail to all of MoonClan, nodded sadly. "I am. I was the first cat to arrive in the Blackness, long before any of the ones you know. But tell me, how is your mother? And the kits?"_

_"They were well the last time I saw them... Flightkit is good friend's with Sierralight's kit, Palekit, even if he is a moon or two older then her."_

_"That's good... I'm always so worried for them, and not being in StarClan means I can't check up on them from time to time."_

_"Why are you not in StarClan? Tinderfoot said you died in battle against RainClan..."_

_Spintail hissed at the mention of his brother's name. "Tinderfoot is a traitor. All he wants is to become leader and take over from Lightstar. He killed me, in coldblood. That's how I became the first cat in the Blackness."_

_"But... that can't be possible! Tinderfoot is a good Deputy! MoonClan's never had a better deputy!"_

_"No... I suppose your right... But when I died, Pouchfoot was still Deputy. And even then, Tinderfoot would of done anything to become deputy."_

_"I don't understand... Tinderfoot's your brother..."_

_"Yes... but we were never as close as you and your siblings are..." A loud chime filled the Blackness, causing Spintail to turn. "I have to go, the sun's about to rise and you need to return. I will visit you when I can, Swirlpaw." The tall tom swooped down to lick Swirlpaw's fur a bit. "Good luck, my daughter."_

_Spintail faded as tears fell down Swirlpaw's whiskers._

* * *

Thanks for reading the next chapter of Missing Forces! We got to see a little more of MoonClan in this chapter, I thought no one would be interested in just hearing about Swirlpaw and Azurepaw's adventures...


	7. Chapter 5: Old and New

Chapter 5: Old and New

* * *

Azurepaw was the first to awake in the moon cave the next day. Snow was coming in the entrance, and all the she-cat could smell was the cold ice and the scent of the cats around them.

Thinking of the cats around her reminded her of what would be happening right now in SunClan. The apprentices would be returning from sun-high patrol... Wavepaw would probably be jumping into the caves before any of the others. Clifftail would be mewing for more sleep in his elders den, and the queens would be cleaning their kits in the sun of the beach.

But then Hazelstar would make an appearence, and the clan would quiet down, not wanting to say anything in the evil leader's presence.

Azurepaw had to shake her head of the thoughts that plagued her, and turned her head instead to the apprentices who were waking around her. She turned to Swirlpaw, and gave her ear a quick lick.

"Wake up, Swirlpaw," she insisted as the brown tabby blinked awake. "We should hunt while the other two sleep."

So hunt they did, and by the time they returned, Paddlepaw and Crimsonpaw were waking, and happy to see food. Azurepaw couldn't help but notice the look that Crimsonpaw gave Swirlpaw as she came in, but it didn't surprise her. Swirlpaw was a pretty she-cat, even if she was just an apprentice.

"You two should of woken us before you left," Crimsonpaw insisted, his eyes finally leaving Swirlpaw. "We were worried you'd left without us."

"Yeh!" Added Paddlepaw, who had already bitten into a mouse. "Super worried." The CloudClan apprentice' antics sent the other three into amused mews, before the four settled down to eat.

* * *

Later that day, the four cats could be seen trying to make their way down the mountain in the snow. Azurepaw couldn't help but mew at the site... Even if she was falling over just as much as Crimsonpaw.

"You have to try and put your feet in the shallower parts of the snow!" Paddlepaw insisted, trying to demonstrate it to Crimsonpaw for the fifth time. "If you don't, you'll just sink!"

"I know that!" Crimsonpaw replied, his ears back and his tail swishing angrilly. "I hate snow..."

Swilpaw's eyes smiled with amusement as she jumped over the snow she was used to, until something stopped her. "Ummm... guys, what's that?"

The other three turned to look in the direction Swirlpaw was, and all three saw a figure in the snow.

"Looks like a large cat!" Crimsonpaw insisted, his back arching.

"Stay still, Crimsonpaw! If he's dangerous, he'll easilly see your bright red coat in this snow! You too, Swirlpaw!" Taking Azurepaw's instruction's to heart, Swirlpaw immediately dipped down into the snow so that it would make it harder for the new cat to see her dark pelt.

"I think it's coming closer," Paddlepaw insisted, he himself covering the black parts of his pelt.

"Everyone shoosh!"

The four apprentices went silent, even as footsteps were heard over the snow, coming closer and closer.

"Well, you guys hide very well AFTER a strange cat like me sees you, you know," came a soft voice from about them, and Swirlpaw shook the snow off her fur, looking up at the new cat. It was huge, and his fur was very mattered from the snow, and had bald patches over it.

"We're just passing through!" insisted Azurepaw, hissing at the newcomer.

"I don't see how! You'll never reach the bottom of the mountain on your own unless you know a shortcut! Follow me, then you can all stay in my den tonight anyway!"

Crimsonpaw looked at the cat, frowning. "Why should we trust you?"

"Don't see how you have a choice!" The cat started down the mountain. "Hey, Red, jump in my footsteps and you won't sink into the snow as much! Oh! And the name's Stingy, by the way!"

* * *

MoonClan's camp was crowded at SunHigh, Yarrowpaw noticed. It seemed like everyone knew a naming ceremony was about to start, because most of the cats were crowded around HighStep, Lightstar and Tinderfoot especially. Palekit was jumping around eagerlly, Deerkit being his more subdued self. The lighter kit looked around, before mewing at Yarrowpaw. "Yarrowpaw! You're becoming a warrior today, right?"

Yarrowpaw mewed in amusement, before nodding. "That's right, Palekit."

"Does that mean I can have your mentor?"

Yarrowpaw blinked in surprise, before shaking her head a little. "Lightstar will chose your mentor. And there will be plenty of other choices besides Tinderfoot for your mentor. Mudclaw and Dirtstorm would make fine mentors for you."

Palekit made a face, before shaking his head. "No, they're meanies. They can have Deerkit. I want someone fun! Like Tinderfoot, or Baskrun, he mentored my mother, you know!"

"Well, I doubt it will be Baskrun, he's in no condition to mentor anyone at the moment," the medicine cat, Lasthope mewed as she walked up the kits, looking them over. "When are one of you kits going to become my apprentice? I'm not going to last forever, you know." Lasthope had been the youngest of a large litter, and when it had come to her, her mother was so exhausted, she simply named her 'Lastkit'.

"Sorry, Lasthope, but I don't think I could last as a Medicine cat apprentice," Palekit insisted, looking upset all of a sudden. Lasthope just mewed, smiling at the kit.

"Never you mind about that, Palekit. A kit will always know if it has the right stuff to be a medicine cat apprentice."

* * *

"Yarrowleaf. I'll never get used to saying it. Yarrowleaf!" Next to her, Spiderpaw mewed in happiness. "Yarrowleaf. I can't believe you're a warrior now!"

The newly named Yarrowleaf mewed happilly at her friend, and bit into her mouse in agreement. "I feel sorry for Palepaw. He really didn't want Mudclaw as a mentor..."

"Can you blame him?" Spiderpaw asked, looking at Yarrowleaf. "Mudclaw and Dirtstorm just don't have the ability to get on with anyone, I don't think. Except Crystalwing, and that's because she's pretty."

Yarrowleaf couldn't help but let her tail swish at the mention of Crystalwing. With Swirlpaw off on adventures, Spiderpaw seemed to be mentioning the young she-cat alot more now.

"You'll be the next one to be a warrior now, Spiderpaw," Yarrowleaf reminded him, trying to change the subject. "I wonder what your warrior name will be?"

"Me too... Though it's a shame that Swirlpaw won't be getting her name with me like she would of if she was here... Hey, shouldn't you rest before your vigil tonight?"

Yarrowleaf frowned at having been excused, but nodded a little and stood up. She watched Spiderpaw turn to the other apprentices. Nightpaw was always so vague, so of course Spiderpaw wouldn't look at her. And the only other she-cat around their age would have been Flightkit, Swirlpaw's younger sister, and she was almost too young.

Yarrowleaf shook her head of the strange thoughts swirling in it, and turned to look at the warriors den. She saw some of the older warriors, Baskrun, Blazenpelt and Raventail sitting and sharing tongues, as well as the youngest three warriors, sitting and mewing at each other. She frowned... Crystalwing, Mudclaw and Dirtstorm weren't really the people she wanted to be around right now. It was then she spotted her own mother, Peachtail, sitting with her mate and Yarrowleaf's father, Talonflame. She petted over to them, and sat between them, curling up to get some rest before her vigil.

* * *

The blackness surrounded Swirlpaw once again as she fell asleep in Stingy's wooden den, but this time she came face to face with a new cat nearlly straight away.

"You're Swirl-that-lines-her-body, our one link with the living?" the cat asked, licking her fur clean. Swirlpaw nodded, blinking at the strange name the cat had given her.

"I'm Swirlpaw, yes... Who are you?"

The cat mewed in amusement, before looking up at Swirlpaw. "My name is... Well, it was... Dappletail. I was SunClan's deputy... Before I tried to tell Hazelstar what a mouse-brain she was being..."

"Your the deputy Hazelstar killed in cold blood?"

The she-cat nodded, before standing, and looking over Swirlpaw. "I've been taking the liberty of naming the cats of the Blackness different names to suit their situation. Because we're not cats of StarClan, nor are we cats of any clan ever heard of. In SunClan, we hear stories of cats who live in tribes, and this is how they name their cats. People here call me Leaf-that-falls-onto-ground. Your father is Spin-that-mouse-tail-bites. Mist-which-hides-the-sun, Ray-that-hurts-the-eye, and Ruby-that-shines-like-sun. You may call me Leaf."

"Leaf..." Swirlpaw whispered, before nodding. "Are you here to tell me more about our journey?"

Leaf just shook her head, before looking Swirlpaw over. "No, that's StarClan's job. We don't have any say in that kind of thing. Just... continue to do what Azure-that-colours-the-water says. She was always the smartest kit."

"Did you know Azurepaw well?"

Leaf nodded this time, sighing a little. "I did. She would have been my apprentice if she hadn't chosen to be a medicine cat. Though I won't dare say she chose the wrong path... Dreamchill gained an amazing apprentice when I lost mine."

"Well, she would of lost you anyway, wouldn't she?" Swirlpaw asked, before frowning as Leaf sighed.

"Swirlpaw... Hazelstar was my sister. She chose me as her deputy when Brightstar died because she thought I would be loyal to her in everyway... And here I am, because I tried to stop her from believing what she had heard about killing innocent cats."


	8. Chapter 6: Out of the Dark

Chapter 6: Out of the dark

Crimsonpaw awoke to the strange smells. He definetely wasn't iin RainClan's forest anymore, and that wasn't Stripepaw and Twigpaw curled up on either sde of him.

The ginger tom opened his eyes, the wooden den that the rogue cat had led the apprentices to was surrounding him. He was used to small spaces; the dens in RainClan were close and dense to keep out the rain before it had dissapeared.

All the thoughts of RainClan caused Crimsonpaw to long for home. Tricklestar, Cedermoor the deputy, Shrewsight, the lovely medicine cat who always made you feel better just by looking at you made you feel better just by looking at you; his mentor, Sharptail, and his sister, Pebblepaw. Not to mention his best friends.

Maybe it was easier for the other three; Swirlpaw never seemed too sad, Paddlepaw always seemed in a good mood, and there was no way Azurepaw could miss her murderous clanmates.

A stirring beside him caused Crimsonpaw to wake up fully, and look around at his travelling partners. Azurepaw was already up and sniffing for herbs outside the den. Paddlepaw had moved from his side and was chatting with the rogue. He tried to recall what the rogue was calling himself, but couldn't seem to.

"Your awake?" came the voice of the fourth travelling companion, and the last. Swirlpaw was a mystery to Crimsonpaw. Her head always seemed to be elsewhere.

"I'm awake," the tom replied, purring a littl at the she-cat. "Are you hungry? I might go hunting..."

"No need!" came the rogue's voice and both cats looked up as two mice were set in front of them. "Paddlepaw here and I went hinting this morning, while you sleepy heads were still asleep."

"Yeh! Stingy's great at chasing down mice!" Paddlepaw insisted, and the rogue, who's name must of been Stingy, purred at the compliment.

"You were just as good, Paddlepaw!"

Swirlpaw purred a little at the two, before turning to Crimsonpaw. "You should eat up, Azurepaw's going to get as far as we can today."

"Yeh, but in what direction?" Crimsonpaw mewed, taking a bit out of his mouse.

"I've been thinking about that," Stingy insisted, looking between Crimsonpaw and Swirlpaw. "Now, I don't know much about trying to find the sun, rain, moon and clouds, but I do remember hearing mention about a place where it rains all the time, there are always clouds, but you can still see the sun and moon."

"How is that possible?" Azurepaw asked, her patch ofherbs now full again. "You shouldn't be able to see the sun and the moon while it's still cloudy."

Stingy shrugged his shoulders. "No idea. That's just the story I'd heard."

* * *

The four cats bid Stingy farewell, before following the directions he'd given them.

"Follow the path of the sun until you hit a river. Follow the river till you hit the two-leg's nests..."

"What are two-legs?" Swirlpaw had asked, but Azurepaw and Paddlepaw quickly informed her.

"Try to reach the other side of the village, but you'll have to go through. Dangerous to go around.

"Then you just follow the path of the moon on the other side and you're done!"

"What a cat," Paddlepaw insisted as they followed the sun through the close trees around them.

"A stupid cat," Crimsonpaw retorted, frowning at the younger tom. "He could of given us better directions."

"No, they're perfect," Azurepaw insisted, causeing the other cats to blink at her. "Follow the sun, will lead us to the sun. The river represents the rain, the two-leg nests represents clouds..." At this, Azurepaw turned to Paddlepaw. "Aren't there two-leg nests on the borders of CloudClan?"

The black and white tom nodded. "There sure are!"

"Andthen we follow the moon. They're the perfect directions to find the missing forces."

"But it sounds like a long journey. I only had another moon till I became a warrior!" Crimsonpaw insisted, frowning at Azurepaw. "I don't want to go on with the name 'Crimsonpaw' for the rest of my life."

"Same," insisted Paddlepaw. "My name isn't exactly easy to say all the time."

The questioning made Azurepaw stop and think for a second. Before they reached where they were going, all three of them would earn their warrior's name.

"I'll ask StarClan to send a message to the medicine cats of your respective clans, and then ask them to let me know of the day of your warrior's ceremony, as well as your new name."

This seemed to calm the cats a bit, who all nodded at Azurepaw, before they continued on their way.

* * *

It had been nearlly a half moon since Yarrowleaf had become a warrior, and the clan was buzzing. SunClan hadn't shown their murderous faces since they hurt Baskrun, who had had to retire to the elder's den.

"The gathering's tonight, Yarrowleaf," came a voice from beside her. Yarrowleaf turned to see the brown fur of Dirtstorm, and hissed a bit. The two brothers hadn't been any nicer to her since she'd become a warrior.

"So?" she asked, looking around to see if this was some practical joke.

"Well, Mudclaw, Palepaw and myself were going, and when I heard you were going... I thought we might go together."

"What, your brother's letting you off the leash tonight?"

Dirtstorm frowned at that, but seemed to hold his temper. "Mudclaw wants to make sure Palepaw gets the full experiance... That and Crystalwing's going, and she'll keep him pre-occupied. What do you say?" The brown tom licked her ear, causing her to shudder. "Come to the gathering with me?"

The she-cat was interrupted by Spiderpaw's excited yelp as the black tom ran into the clan.

"I did it! I did it!"

A few cats started to walk over to Spiderpaw, curious as to see what it was he did. Yarrowleaf stood, turning away from Dirtstorm.

"I'll think about it, she mewed, before padding over to where Peachtail was now sitting beside Spiderpaw.

"Wow!" exclaimed Palepaw, looking at the fox that Spiderpaw was holding in his jaw. "Did you catch that all by yourself?"

"I did!" Spiderpaw grinned, before dropping the fox. "Peachtail says this might be the biggest catch a cat in MoonClan's ever made!"

"Close to it, anyway," purred Peachtail, flicking her young apprentice. "You'll make a good warrior soon enough."

"Yeh," Spiderpaw mewed, his mood deflating a little. "Too bad Swirlpaw isn't here to earn her name with me..."

The statement caused the cats around him to bow their heads, sighing. Yarrowleaf couldn't help her whiskers twitching at the mention of the brown tabby she-cat. It's not she was that popular when she was here.

"Actually, she will," insisted Lasthope as she joined the group.

"What do you mean, Lasthope?" Tinderfoot asked, his black tail twitching.

"Well, a message came to me from StarClan. Swirlpaw is to get her warrior name at the same time she would have, as she has already earned it ten times over."

"Really?" exclaimed Spiderpaw. "That means she'll get it at the same time as me!"

Tinderfoot nodded. "Then so it shall be done. I'll let Lightstar know." And with that, Tinderfoot headed to the leader's den, Blazenpelt and Raventail following him.

"Can you believe it, Yarrowleaf?" Spiderpaw exclaimed, racing up to the she-cat. "Swirlpaw's going to become a warrior at the same time I am!"

Yarrowleaf tried to be happy for her best friend, but it was hard. Spotting Dirtstorm chatting to his former mentor, Patchfoot, she stepped over to him, her tail lowering.

"Yarrowleaf. What can I do for you?" Dirtstorm asked, his ears' perking up.

"I'd love to walk with you to the gathering."

* * *

A/N: The problem is, I'm writing this story, and it's all their in my head, and I don't remember the last time I wrote something like this... But I don't think anyone's actually reading it.


	9. Chapter 7: Gatherings

Chapter 7: Gatherings

Swirlpaw was exhausted. They'd been walking threw the forest for nearlly a moon now, and still no sign of a river they could follow. There'd been wet patches to drink from here and there, but nothing to follow.

"This is all that stupid cat's fault!" Crimsonpaw complained. He'd been getting snippier as the sunrises went on. "We could be going around in circles for all we know!"

"Stop it!" came Azurepaw's voice. The others could tell that the apprentice was just as exhausted as them, but she was trying not to show it. "All of you. Now, do you want to hear the good news or not?"

"Good news?" Paddlepaw asked, his ears perking up.

"Yes. I can hear running water."

The four apprentices mewed with delight as they bounded forward, and screeching as they finally reached the river.

"Alright. Let's rest. We made it this far, we should rest until the next sunrise, then we can continue." Azurepaw insisted, and the other three nodded their agreement, before taking their fill from the river.

As the sun began to set, the four cats started telling stories of their clans. Funny stories about ClcoudClan, dramatic stories about RainClan, touching stories of MoonClan, and scary stories about SunClan.

"And then as Spottedfoot was trying to catch the rabbit, out runs Jadepaw, crying about the fact that the rabbit monster was going to get her!"

The apprentices mewed in amusement as Paddlepaw finished the story. Paddlepaw flicked his tail as the other's stopped. "I suppose Jadepaw has her warrior's name by now..."

"Yarrowpaw probably does too," insisted Swirlpaw, her head bowed. "She probably has a really pretty name."

"Stripepaw was a whole moon above me, there's no doubt he'll have his warrior's name."

Azurepaw watched the others, before nodding. "I wish StarClan would let me know more about what was happening in th*e clans. We're completely cut off out here."

"Well... If you see anything, Azurepaw," Swirlpaw insisted, looking at the blue-grey she-cat. "Tell us straight away."

"Don't worry, I will."

* * *

It was the strange noises that caused Crimsonpaw to wake again that night, the moon shining high in the sky. He turned to his left to see Azurepaw struggling in her sleep, mewing softly. The ginger tom jumped to his feet and moved to her side, nudging her with his paw a little.

"Azurepaw, wake up!" he meowed, and the she-cat woke almost instantly, her bright blue eyes shining in the moonlight.

"Crimsonfire... What's wrong?" she asked, purring a little. Crimsonpaw blinked, looking Azurepaw over.

"Crimsonfire? I'm Crimsonpaw, Azurepaw."

"Not anymore," she insisted, standing to her feet and licking Crimsonpaw's shoulder. "You're Crimsonfire. This evening Tricklestar gave you your warrior name, and Fogstar gave Paddlepaw his name... Paddlefoot."

Crimsonfire purred a little, before sitting down next to Azurepaw. "Paddlefoot, it suits him perfectly... Did Swirlpaw not get her warrior name?"

Azurepaw shook his head a little, her tail drooping. "No... But she is younger then the two of you, so it doesn't surprise me."

"What about you?" came a croaky voice as if they'd just woken up, and both cats turned to see Swirlpaw's head lifted from the other side of Paddlefoot. "Did you get your name, Azurepaw?"

The medicine cat apprentice shook her head, purring softly. "StarClan will give me my name when they're ready. I'm not worried at all."

* * *

Yarrowleaf stepped up onto the pile of logs that served as the central meeting spot for all four clans at gatherings. She looked around, trying to find some of the other apprentices she'd met at previous gathering's, when she felt a pelt move up beside her.

"SunClan aren't here yet," Dirtstorm insisted, his tail flickering. "I wonder if they'll even bother to show their tails."

Yarrowleaf tried to step away from the tabby tom, but found it difficult, especially as his brother and Crystalwing were now moving to sit with them. She looked around for Palepaw, and saw him chatting away with some other young apprentices, causing her to purr with happiness.

"Yarrowpaw! Yarrowpaw!" Came a mew from behind her, and the golden she-cat turned at the familiar voice.

"Jadepaw!" she mewed, before moving forward to rub necks with the black she-cat from CloudClan. "How's the prey? And it's Yarrowleaf now!"

"Oh! You got your warrior's name, I'm so happy for you! I did too! I'm Jadepool."

"Oh, that's a pretty name..." Yarrowleaf insisted, purring at her friend. She was about to continue talking, when another young warrior stepped up beside Jadepool, looping a protective tail around the she-cat.

"Come along, Jadepool, the gathering's about to start," the tom insisted, his eyes glaring at Yarrowleaf.

"Alright, alright Windfoot, stop being a mouse brain." The she-cat licked Yarrowleaf's shoulder once more. "I'll see you around!"

"Bye!" Yarrowleaf mewed as the two walked back over to the other CloudClan cats.

"SunClan's here!" Yarrowleaf couldn't help but hear Crystalwing mew, and the she-cat spun around, just in time to notice the brown she-cat leader step through the line of trees that surrounded the gathering area. She was followed by a fare few cats; Some that Yarrowleaf recognised from previous gatherings and some she'd never seen before.

"Well, now that we're all here," Tricklestar insisted as she stepped up the small mountain of logs in the middle, taking her place as oldest leader, "We should probably start." Yarrowleaf noticed that Tricklestar didn't seem as weary of Hazelstar as the fiesty Fogstar and Lightstar did. "I'll go first."

"The prey is running well in RainClan, new-leaf has been kind to us after a rather harsh leaf-bare. We have two new warriors with us today, Stripetail and Feathertalon!"

"Stripetail! Feathertalon!" the RainClan cats howled, and Yarrowleaf was sure she noticed two cats at the front sit up straight.

"In his absence, we have also awarded Crimsonpaw his warrior name, and shall now be known as Crimsonfire!"

"Crimsonfire! Crimsonfire!"

"And the most wonderful news of all... My daughter, Poolheart, is expecting!"

The clans mewed in congradulations, causing Tricklestar to preen and smile at the cats in front of her. She nodded her head to Fogstar, who stood up next to Tricklestar.

"The prey in CloudClan is also running well! Two new apprentices were named a quarter-moon ago, and join us here today on their first gathering. Welcome Goosepaw and Swanpaw!"

"Goosepaw! Swanpaw!"

The dark grey leader gave Hazelstar a glare, before turning back to the crowd of cats. "I would like to say that I wish all my news were as good as that... And I will announce our new warriors, Jadepool and Paddlefoot, who like Crimsonfire, got his name while away... I need to bring something quite disturbing up. While on patrol around a half-moon ago, not long after SunClan made their journeys to each clan and gave their warning... We found one of our apprentices, Coltpaw, dead on our border with SunClan."

Confused mews came up through the cats, and Yarrowleaf couldn't help but frown. This sounded a little too much like the attack on Baskrun for her liking.

"The black apprentice crossed the border," Hazelstar spoke up, her sharp voice cutting through the cats. "He defied the warrior code. As it happened on SunClan territory, you have no say in what happens. Besides, we gave you back the body. We could of just left him for crow-food."

Fogstar looked like he was going to kill Hazelstar if she mewed another word, but instead he just hissed at her. "He was my brother's son. How dare you kill my brother's son, you worthless piece of fox-dung!"

"That's enough!" came the croaky voice of Dreamchill, SunClan's medicine cat. "This is a gathering. If you wish to wage war on SunClan, Fogstar, we suggest you wait till the gathering is over."

The dark grey tom stepped back, his eyes never leaving Hazelstar. Lightstar stepped up, her own eyes staring through Hazelstar as she took her place at the top of the pile, going on like nothing had just happened. "MoonClan is also full of prey, and abundant with new warriors. Not only have Mudpaw and Dirtpaw become Mudclaw and Dirtstorm, Yarrowpaw has also become Yarrowleaf."

Yarrowleaf amost didn't hear the chears of her name going up into the crowd of cats, she was so focused on whatever it was that Hazelstar was whispering to her deputy.

"We also have four new apprentices! Beetlepaw, Nightpaw, Palepaw and Deerpaw are all welcome to the clan!"

Beetlepaw and Deerpaw, who were sitting next to each other, preened at the noises, but Nightpaw just ignored it all.

"And finally..." the white she-cat bore her eyes into Hazelstar. "One of our elder warriors, Baskrun, has had to retire to the elder's den, before his time, because of an... altercation with SunClan on their border."

"He'd be in StarClan with the hill-rat if we'd had our ways!" insisted Hazelstar, jumping up to push Lightstar away. "Here is what's happening in SunClan. We have plenty of prey, more warriors and apprentices then ever, and plenty of kits. And you know what else! THE SUN IS BACK!"

Yarrowleaf noticed that only about half of SunClan cheered along with Hazelstar. The rest were clumped together, and Yarrowleaf couldn't help but notice they were a little worse for wear.

"I won't bother explaining the details... I did that on my journey to all your clans. But I will warn you this... If any of my cats catch any other cat on our territory... You should expect to find them dead." And with that, the brown she-cat stood up, and started off the logs. "Come along, cats of SunClan. The gathering is over."

Fogstar hissed once more at the she-cat. "Who is she to say that the gathering's over!" he hissed, causing his deputy and medicine cat to come up and lead him away. Tricklestar nodded to Lightstar, before heading off with the RainClan cats towards their forest. Lightstar bounded up to MoonClan, Lasthope and Tinderfoot close behind.

"Come along everyone... Let's go home."

A/N: So, there's the first real site of the other clans. What do you think of the four leaders? I personally love Tricklestar... But that's because she's been my character right from the very start. From Tricklekit, to Tricklepaw, to Tricklestream, to Tricklestar... She used to have her own story, but I lost it...


	10. Chapter 8: Attacks and Decisions

**Chapter 8**: Attacks and Decisions

Swirlpaw was exhausted. It felt like they'd been walking for moons, but in truth she knew it had only been a couple of sunrises since they had found the river. The noise and smell of the river was making her anxious, it meant that they couldn't smell or hear enemies that might sneak up on them. On her side, she could feel Crimsonfire's sparking pelt, and sighed a little. The red furred tom was never the kindest cat around, but he was really trying. She'd even heard him congratulate Paddlefoot on becoming a warrior the other day, but she wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not…

"Shh," Azurepaw hissed from up ahead and the other three stopped, Swirlpaw focusing on sniffing the air. There was something there, a scent she didn't recognise.

"What is that," she murmured, and looked between the other three, noticing Paddlefoot shrug, but Crimsonfire was hunched down, used to crawling along forest floors…

"Smells like a badger," he insisted, hissing some. "They're normally huge, I don't think the three of us will be able to take it," he murmured, glancing at Azurepaw for confirmation. Swirlpaw watched as her friend bit her lip before nodding, and sighing a little.

"I think we're going to have to cross the river if we want any chance of getting away from the badger," she murmured, frowning towards the undergrowth that was to the side somewhat. Nodding to the other three, the medicine cat lead the way watching where her footsteps fell amongst the river.

"We're lucky it's shallow here," Crimsonfire insisted, shaking his head as he followed Azurepaw, Swirlpaw following with Paddlefoot bringing up the rear. With a sigh, Azurepaw reached the other side. Waiting for her journey mates, she gasped as the bushes on the other side moved. "Quick! Hide in the scrub!" she called as quietly as she could, and Paddlefoot nodded, jumping to the other side rather quickly, followed by Crimsonfire.

But Swirlpaw was frozen to the spot. Watching as the large, lumbering black and white badger came out from the shrubs, it spotted her immediately, her dark brown fur standing out against the rushing water. It let out a growl, and when Swirlpaw didn't move, it started to move toward her.

"Swirlpaw! Move!" Crimsonfire hissed, before dashing out onto the river, grabbing Swirlpaw by the scruff and dragging her backwards. The badger reached them just in time to swipe them with his fist. Dropping Swirlpaw, Crimsonfire lashed back, his claws raking across the belly of the badger, drawing blood and causing the animal to recoil, giving the others just enough time to get Swirlpaw back to the other side.

"Swirlpaw!" Paddlefoot and Azurepaw exclaimed, coming forward and checking Swirlpaw over. The badger had scratched her fur some, but it wasn't deep... "Let me get some herbs for that," Azurepaw insisted, tearing her patch from her back and nosing through it till she found the right herbs, carefully applying them to the wound.

Swirlpaw could only watch as the other two worried over her, and she frowned some, before looking at Crimsonfire, before nudging him with her nose. "Thank you for saving me," she murmured. She had no idea what had her frozen like that… She'd never faced something as big as a badger… The biggest threat they got in MoonClan were hawks and falcons. "I'm sorry I froze like that," she murmured, shaking her head.

"It's fine," Crimsonfire said gruffly, though he was looking hesitantly at the other two cats. "Are you ok? That scratch looks bad," he murmured, moving to press his pelt close up to Swirlpaw. Swirlpaw smiled, before shrugging.

"I've had worse… My den mates back home always said I was the worst fighter around… Good thing my hunting skills made up for it," she murmured, shrugging a little, but she felt safer leaning into Crimsonfire's warm pelt. She felt sleep coming on, and even though she could hear Azurepaw trying to keep her awake, it was hard…

* * *

"…And so, from this day on, you will now be known as Spiderfoot!" Lightstar called out to the clan, and Yarrowleaf called out the words, but found little happiness in them. SunClan's attacks were coming more and more often, and there were other injuries now besides Baskrun's, though no deaths and no permanent scars had been left. But Yarrowleaf felt it was only a matter of time…

"Now, as everyone knows, Spiderfoot and Swirlpaw were made apprentices at the same time, and so, I give Swirlpaw her warrior name, Swirlpelt, and let StarClan carry it to wherever she may walk!" Lightstar called out, and loud yells of Swirlpelt's new name carried across the clearing, causing Yarrowleaf to smile. No matter where she was now, she would know that her clan was thinking about her.

A dark brown pelt brushed up against her, and Yarrowleaf turned to see Dirtstorm brushing up against her. "He'll probably never forget about Swirlpelt, you realise," he murmured to her, causing her eyes to flash to him, frowning.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she hissed, swatting him with her tail as she walked away. He'd taken to sitting with her at every meeting ever since they'd gone to the gathering together, and while that was fine, it meant that Mudclaw and Crystalwing were never far behind. She put up with Dirtstorm… She didn't have to put up with Mudclaw and Crystalwing.

"The whole clan can see you mooning for him, Yarrowleaf, but he's a weak warrior. He could never protect you from the likes of SunClan," he insisted, twisting around her lithe body.

Hissing, she swat at him. "You shouldn't talk about your fellow warriors like that. It is Spiderfoot's choice who he chooses for a mate. And Swirlpelt isn't here."

"No, but her brother and sister are," Crystalwing insisted, glancing over at where Flightkit and Spiralkit were running around Spiderfoot's feet, making the older cat laugh. "Flightkit's very pretty, almost as much as me…"

Yarrowleaf hissed at the arrogant she-cat. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't realise I was in the presence of such a high beauty," she hissed, pretending to swat at Crystalwing. Gasping, the pretty she-cat jumped out of the way, before frowning when she realised that Yarrowleaf had tricked her.

"You'll never find a mate with that attitude, Yarrowleaf! You're as bitter as your name suggests!" she hissed, before moving away, quickly followed by Mudclaw. Yarrowleaf blinked, before looking at Dirtstorm, her eyes frowning a bit.

"Am I really bitter?" she asked the dark cat, who just shrugged and turned his back on Yarrowleaf.

"Why don't you ask Spiderfoot," he said with his back to her as he followed Mudclaw and Crystalwing. Suddenly feeling very alone, she curled her feet up under herself and leant her head on her paws. Maybe she wasn't meant to find a mate…

* * *

_Swirlpaw's head felt dizzy as she felt herself wake in the familiar black surroundings that had been haunting her dreams every night. Looking around, she smiled when she spotted her father and Leaf talking with Ruby and bounded over to them. They seemed shocked to see her, and frowned. _

"_Swirlpaw, what are you doing here?" Spintail, now Spin, asked his daughter, rubbing his nose over her face as if he was checking her. _

"_I don't know," she insisted, looking between the others. "There was a fight with a badger…"_

"_I think she's unconscious," Ruby said, looking the small she-cat over. Glancing at her fellow cats, she frowned some. "This could be bad…"_

"_It won't be," came a purr from behind them as the others all turned to look at Leaf. "And Swirlpaw… MoonClan gave you the name Swirlpelt. Azurepaw will tell you the same thing when you wake… Which should be soon. The badger wounded you… And don't be afraid of Crimsonfire. He wants to help you."_

_Swirlpaw… pelt… smiled at the she-cat before dipping her head. "Thank you, Leaf… I wish I could have been there… Oh! What was Spiderpaw's name?" she asked, thinking of her black pelted best friend._

"_Spiderleg. He is doing well."_

_Swirlpelt watched as her friends faded, and she smiled softly, as she slowly _

Began to wake, and smiled when she realised that the others were all looking down at her.

"Swirlpelt, you're ok," Azurepaw said soothingly, as she licked the she-cat's head softly to calm her.

"I'm fine… Thanks for saving me," she murmured as she turned to Crimsonfire. The ginger tom just huffed a little, shaking his pelt as he stood up.

"We should get a move on. We've got a long way to go still."

A/N

Late? Yes yes it is... I'd also like to appologise to the reviewer who'd suggested a character for my story, unfortunately I'm having trouble trying to figure out how she would fit in with the current story line I have, there just really isn't room for another main character cat... If you wanted her to be a loner that helped them through Two-leg place, or a simple Clan cat I could work either of those in... Or even better, she could be one of the main characters in one of the future books... Which might never happen but I have them all written out in my head. I know how this story ends. I just have to put it down on paper.


	11. Chapter 9: Fences and Holes

**Chapter 9: Fences and Holes**

Paddlefoot sighed with exhaustion as he walked a few tail lengths behind the other three cats. From where he stood he could see Swirlpelt and Crimsonfire walking suspiciously close to each other, and wasn't THAT a surprise, even after Crimsonfire had saved her from the badger… They were just a little bit close for two cats from different clans.

Not that Paddlefoot normally cared about these things. He was a carefree type cat. He'd lead a good live, and while his life on the plains of CloudClan had been without clouds… Well, he was just used to it by now. He probably would have gone his whole life without clouds if he'd had to. But he couldn't say that he wouldn't be happy to see a cloud again. Having such a blank sky during the night and day… well, it felt like CloudClan felt it the worst. They could always see the sky.

Thinking of CloudClan, Paddlefoot chuckled. He thought of Kestralstripe, who would be grumbling about the heat, though he wouldn't go for a swim in the lake like some of the other cats might with how hot it was. He could imagine Heatherpaw and Ivypaw jumping through it and annoying Dapperpaw in one of his moods. He missed his fellow apprentices, and couldn't help but wondering that… Well, one day, when he got back, would they all still be there?

"I smell something strange," Swirlpelt hissed from up ahead, and Paddlefoot was drawn from his thoughts as he looked up and spotted a familiar spot.

"It's a fence!" he mewed to the others and lept ahead, going over to it. "Fences mark the far border of CloudClan, the start of Two-leg place. We've finally reached the two-leg place!" he insisted, putting his paw up on the fence.

"I don't trust it," Crimsonfire insisted, frowning at the wooden wall that seemed to stretch on forever. "How are we supposed to get over it? Can we go around it?"

"Remember what Stingy said? We can't go around the Two-leg place, it's too dangerous," Azurepaw insisted, frowning at the fence. "I think we should try and…"

She was cut off by Paddlefoot suddenly jumping off the ground and landing on the fence. "Come on! It's not that hard, we have to do it all the time to fetch the catmint in the two-legs gardens!" he insisted before jumping down the otherside, causing Azurepaw to gasp.

"Fish-brain! You don't know what's down there!" she insisted, calling through the fence.

"It's fine and safe! Come on!" he called, and sat back on his haunches as he waited for the others to jump, purring to himself. He knew Crimsonfire wouldn't back down from a challenge like that, and sure enough, he soon saw two orange paws scrabbling to get him to the top, and finally the large ginger tom reached the top, followed closely by Swirlpelt.

"This is high up," the she-cat hissed, moving about the fence, looking like she was going to fall any minute.

"I'll go first, show you it's alright," Crimsonfire all but purred to her, and Paddlefoot flicked his tail in amusement. Were they going to be like this the rest of the trip?

He watched Crimsonfire jump to the ground slightly awkwardly and had to stop himself from chuckling. Swirlpelt was a little more graceful about it, but that was probably because she was used to it, living in the mountains…

"Come on, Azurepaw!" Paddlefoot called, nudging the fence with his nose. "If the other two can do it, so can you!"

The three waited patiently, but Paddlefoot was starting to get worried that the medicine cat wasn't going to make it, and jumped back up, looking down at Azurepaw. "Are you ok?"

"SunClan cats don't need to jump," she murmured, frowning some as she looked at fence, and Paddlefoot realised she was right. CloudClan cats jumped all the time to catch birds, and RainClan had learnt to jump low branches, and MoonClan jumped rocks. SunClan only swam and caught crabs and shellfish to eat in the sand… They didn't need to jump.

Paddlefoot was lost… He couldn't think of another way through the fence… Unless…

"There might be a hole we can use… There's one in the fence back home, just a small one, but you should be able to fit through it, Azurepaw!" he insisted, and he looked back at Crimsonfire and Swirlpelt. "You two, find shelter, and I'll help Azurepaw find a way past the fence, then I'll direct her back here, ok?" he insisted, and the other two nodded, obviously surprised at how Paddlefoot was taking charge. But this was his specialty. This was what he did best… He could use it to his advantage. They were in his terrain now.

* * *

Yarrowleaf felt dull and lonely. Crystalwing, to no one's surprise, had been moved to the nursery, with Mudclaw's kits, and Dirtstorm had been pointedly ignoring her since she'd blew him off. Beetlepaw had been sulking around, having to be mentored by one of the eldest warriors in the clan, Kindnest was getting slow and would probably move to the elder's den soon… It had been a desperate idea on Lightstar's part to allow the old tom to be a mentor again so soon to retiring.

It wasn't like they were short on warriors though. Tinderfoot, Gingernose and Peachtail had all just made their apprentices become warriors in Yarrowleaf, Spiderfoot and Swirlpelt, so she didn't see why one of them couldn't have taken over Beatlepaw's training. Then there was Patchfoot and Talonflame, Mudclaw and Dirtstorm's old mentors, both of who were free. Sierralight had just come out of the nursery, so she probably wasn't ready for an apprentice yet, but there had been a lot of other choices before Kindnest. Lots of warriors, and not so many apprentices.

So when Patchfoot and Gingernose came back from a border patrol, with a battered Beetlepaw being carried between them, and with Talonflame dragging Kindnest's body behind them… Yarrowleaf was devastated, but she couldn't have said she didn't see it coming…

"My son! My son!" came Brazenpelt's yell through the camp as the red she-cat came running from the warriors den as the Patchfoot and Gingernose dropped Beetlepaw to their feet. "Is he dead!?"

"No," Gingernose insisted, and Yarrowleaf could just see the rise and fall of Beetlepaw's chest from where she stood, even as she got pushed aside for Nightpaw to run forward and look at her brother.

"Where's Lasthope! Someone get Lasthope!" Raventail yelled as he joined his mate and children and Yarrowleaf moved quickly to Lasthope's cave, poking her head in to where the medicine cat was helping Baskrun look over his wound.

"Lasthope, you have to come quickly, Beetlepaw's badly hurt, and they just got back from the SunClan border… I think Kindnest is dead," she murmured, and Lasthope nodded, leaving Baskrun to finish the poultice and hurried after Yarrowleaf back through the entrance.

The light ginger she-cat looked all over Beetlepaw, before sighing softly and looking at Brazenpelt and Raventail. "He'll live, but you have to move him to my den, he's lost a lot of blood, and carry him carefully!" Moving over to check Kindnest, she paused, sniffing him for a second, before closing her eyes and dipping her head. "Someone get Lightstar… Kindnest is dead…" she murmered, before following Brazenpelt and Raventail into the medicine cat's den.

Yarrowleaf watched as Tinderfoot hopped up to the entrance to Lightstar's den, and a second later, a flurry of white fell from the high spot as she jumped down to her warriors and gasped when she saw Kindnest's body.

"Kindnest!" she all but yelled as she ran to the warrior's side. Somewhere in the back of Yarrowleaf's mind, she remembered that Kindnest was Crystalwing's father, and therefor Lightstar's mate… no wonder she was so upset. Yarrowleaf would feel the same if she lost Spiderfoot… Who didn't seem to be in the clearing, neither was Mudclaw, Palepaw or Peachtail, they must be out hunting, she thought to herself. She bit her lip as she watched her normally strong leader fall to the ground beside her mate and cry.

"This is all SunClan's fault," Dirtstorm hissed from beside her, and Yarrowleaf jumped at the tom's sudden appearance. "If we keep losing good warriors like this, we'll never be able to survive Leaf-bare."

Yarrowleaf bit her lip, though she knew the brown tom was right. Looking at him, she sighed, and hung her head. "But what can we do? Unless Lightstar orders an attack…"

"Mudclaw has a plan. We're going to infiltrate SunClan tomorrow night… I've got Deerpaw to agree, and I'll be asking Nightpaw, who will definitely agree now her brother's been attacked… We want you to come… And invite Spiderfoot," he added, seemingly reluctantly.

Yarrowleaf watched Dirtstorm some for a moment, realising that he was only asking the youngest warriors, and the apprentices, to come. He hadn't mentioned Palepaw, but she doubted the young tom would want to come anyway…

"I'll be there. I can't promise about Spiderfoot, but I'm in."

* * *

A/N Another chapter of Missing Forces. I'm in a warriors mood if anyone can tell. I might even up date the darkest hour...


	12. Chapter 10: Dissappearing

**Chapter 10: Disappearing**

Crimsonfire sighed as he waited with Swirlpelt, waiting for Azurepaw and Paddlefoot to return from finding a way to get Azurepaw past the fence. This was taking too LONG. He needed to get home and protect his clan, how could he do that if he was out here, playing adventure with these three?

Glancing sideways at Swirlpelt, he could feel the anxiousness furling off her. She was probably worried about Azurepaw and Paddlefoot, if they weren't back yet it probably meant they had to walk for a while… Feeling sorry for the she-cat, he moved to nudge his nose into her side comfortingly.

"Swirlpelt, I'm sure they're fine, it just took them a while to find the hole," he insisted as the brown she-cat purred slightly at the comforting gesture before curling around the tom's pelt.

"I know that, Crimsonfire, and I'm worried about it, I just… have a lot of things on my mind," he insisted, sighing a little as she fell against him.

"Do you miss MoonClan?" he asked carefully, taking a guess, and Swirlpelt looked at Crimsonfire for a moment, and the ginger tom was worried he'd guessed wrong, until she nodded.

"Yes… I miss Yarrowpaw and Spiderpaw, though I know they've got their warrior names by now, I just… don't know what they are," she murmered, looking at the ground, and Crimsonfire found himself licking her coat.

"We'll be home before you know it," he murmered, pushing their pelts together until he heard a mew from behind them, and spinning around his haunches rose at the site of Paddlefoot and Azurepaw.

"You two are looking awfully comfortable for a couple of cats from different clans," Paddlefoot teased, and it was all Crimsonfire could do not to swat his ears off.

"Shut it, Bigfoot, let's just hurry up," he insisted, before glancing at Azurepaw, blinking a little. "Azurepaw?" he asked carefully at the surprised look on the she-cat's face.

"Azurepaw, what's wrong?" Swirlpelt came up close to her friend, nudging her a little, causing the small blue she-cat to startle a little.

"Sorry… I just… was reminded of something then, nothing special…. We should hurry. Stingy said this two-leg place is huge, and we have to walk straight through it."

* * *

Crimsonfire felt like he hadn't eaten anything for a moon, but he knew it had only been since that morning. He was cursing the fact that they hadn't thought to fill up their stomachs before climbing the fence, because there was no prey around. Nothing that Crimsonfire was used to catching, anyway. He'd smelt a mouse here or there, but they were all hidden away in two-leg nests… And the sun was setting, and they would have to rest soon, but they were out in the open…

"There has to be somewhere we can rest," Swirlpelt hissed from where she was padding along a little behind the others, and Crimsonfire moved to press his pelt to hers to help her walk.

"And there will be, we just have to find it," he insisted, looking up ahead at Azurepaw for reassurance, but she looked just as down-trodden as Swirlpelt.

"There will be somewhere!" Paddlefoot insisted, rounding them all as he moved to look at them. "In the two-leg place near CloudClan, there are abandoned two-leg nests that are over-run with herbs and plants. One of them is a nest to a bunch of loners. Sure there is something like that that we could use around here!"

"But how would we find it?" Swirlpelt mewed, looking at Paddlefoot, before wincing. Worried, Crimsonfire turned to the she-cat and gasped. Her wounds from the badger were red, though not bleeding, and he turned to look at Azurepaw.

"We need to rest soon!" he insisted, worried about the small she-cat that had started to… well, mean so much to him in such a small time.

"Wait! I… I smell stale loner scent! Come on, this way!" Paddlefoot insisted, bounding down a two-leg path and into a grassy plain with a metal nest in the middle and trees all around… "There's some bushes over there I bet we could fit in!"

"Alright, get Swirlpelt settled and help Azurepaw look for something for her scratch. I'll hunt," he insisted, giving Swirlpelt one last lick before padding away. Behind him he could hear Paddlefoot and Azurepaw watching him. He didn't care.

* * *

The youngest warriors and the apprentices of MoonClan had been made sure they were appointed to the hunt. Deerpaw and Nightpaw had convinced their mentors to let the young warriors take them out on a night time hunt, and since Spiderfoot, Mudclaw and Dirtstorm could hardly be seen in the dark, it made sense that they help Deerpaw and Nightpaw. Yarrowleaf was just coming along to watch.

Yarrowleaf had almost wished that was what they'd been doing out so late at night, though they'd already decided to hunt on their way back. Yarrowleaf hadn't been down to the SunClan border since everything had started, and she was a little afraid that if they went now… They might never come back.

"We're going down between the Different Stones, it's the quickest route to the bottom of the mountain near SunClan's territory," Mudclaw insisted. Like in all things, the dark brown tom had taken over leadership of the 'patrol'. Dirtstorm and Deerpaw didn't seem to mind, and Nightpaw was just eager to get going… Spiderfoot looked anxious from where he walked from behind Yarrowleaf.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea after all," he murmered, as they continued down through the wind tunnels of MoonClan. "I mean what if SunClan catch us?"

"That's the whole point, bird-brain," Dirtstorm hissed. Yarrowleaf knew very well why the two didn't get along, but she didn't want to think about that right then… "We want to teach them a lesson for what they did to Baskrun, Kindnest and Beetlepaw."

Nightpaw's brother was still injured in the medicine cat's den and from the way Lasthope spoke; he was probably going to be in there for a while. It worried her, that SunClan could injure the strong apprentice so… easily. And MoonClan's medicine cat had already said that even if Beetlepaw recovered… he would never be able to have full use of his hind legs again.

"I'm going to teach them a lesson for Beetlepaw," Nightpaw hissed, and though she knew that Nightpaw and Beetlepaw were close… it was surprising that she wasn't being as vague as she normally was.

"We'll have revenge for all of them. Just remember your warrior training."

"I haven't had much warrior training," Deerpaw admitted, looking up at Mudclaw as if he was going to disappoint the strong warrior. The tom nodded, before looking at Deerpaw.

"Don't worry, we already have a large patrol, just put in when you can, and don't take on any cat by yourself," he insisted, and Yarrowleaf blinked, realising for the first time that Mudclaw was actually a reasonable mentor. If he could be so caring to Deerpaw, then he could probably be just as caring to Palepaw.

"We have to hurry, we need to make it back before the dawn patrol," Dirtstorm insisted with a frown at his brother, before taking the lead and heading down the steep slope towards the Different Stones and SunClan's border.

As they walked, Dirtstorm moved next to Yarrowleaf, and licked her ear. She tried her hardest not to flinch away.

"It'll be nice to be an uncle," he insisted, looking forward at where Mudclaw was walking. "Mudclaw will make a good father." Turning his head, he looked at Yarrowleaf. "One day, I'd like to be a father."

"Most toms would," Yarrowleaf said, trying to sound in-different, but it was hard. She knew that Dirtstorm wanted to be more than just friends with her, but… but her heart still lay with the wiry black tom that was walking behind her, and probably would for the rest of her life.

"I want to be the father of your kits, Yarrowleaf," Dirtstorm insisted, and Yarrowleaf gasped at the forwardness, and turned to look at him. How could he say such a thing, she was still so young, she had her whole life to have kits and… and Spiderfoot… She sighed softly. Spiderfoot was still in love with Swirlpelt. And probably would be until the day he died.

"I…" Yarrowleaf started to say, but got cut off by Mudclaw's tail.

"Quiet. We're nearing the SunClan border," he insisted, and the six cats crept out of the crevices and onto the small flat lands between the mountain and SunClan's beach.

"Shh, what's that?" Nightpaw added, and using her dark coat crept out along the black rock, looking for any signs of SunClan, when suddenly, she spotted something in the far distance…

"There! Lookout!" she hissed, but it was too late, cats had seemed to appear from nowhere, all harbouring the smell of the ocean and battering the six cats. There had to be at least twice the number of SunClan then MoonClan, and they all seemed to be fully trained warriors. From where she stood, Yarrowleaf could already see Deerpaw clumsily fighting off two warriors.

"What's wrong, little kit? Afraid of SunClan? GOOD!" the tortoise-shell she-cat hissed as she moved to swat the tom's head, but Yarrowleaf was there in a second.

"Run, Deerpaw!" she hissed, and the small apprentice looked up at her wide-eyed.

"But…"

"Run now!" She hissed, as she took on the tortoise-shell she-cat and the grey-brown tom. She didn't recognise either of them, but they were fighting like true warriors and Yarrowleaf was having trouble. All of a sudden Dirtstorm joined her and took on the tom, fighting him like there was no tomorrow.

"Leave Yarrowleaf alone!" he hissed, and the tom blinked, before hissing. The she-cat swatted at Yarrowleaf, distracting her enough so that she lost the retort the tom was likely to give.

"Your mate's dead now, pretty one, Cliffjaw never leaves them alive!" she insisted, and she jumped on Yarrowleaf, who used all the strength she could to push the SunClan cat off of her, and as the she-cat ran off, Yarrowleaf span around, but had found that both the tom Cliffjaw and Dirtstorm had disappeared.

"Dirtstorm?!" she called, looking all around for the tom who a second ago had been called her mate. "Dirtstorm!" she yelled, as Mudclaw, Spiderfoot, Nightpaw and a battered Deerpaw joined them.

"Where is he?!" Mudclaw insisted, growling at Yarrowleaf, who shrunk a little.

"I don't know… One minute he was saving me, and then a she-cat distracted me, and I turned around and he, and the SunClan cats, were all gone!" she hissed, feeling horrible. The tom had gone, saving her, thinking that maybe one day she would be his mate, when all she did was have contempt for him… She felt so horrible.

"We have to try and find him!" Deerpaw insisted, trying his hardest to stand up right. Nightpaw moved to his side, shaking her head.

"We have to get you home. Besides, it's almost dawn, we don't want to get back after the dawn patrol leaves…"

"It doesn't matter now," Mudclaw murmered, shaking his head. "I'll have to tell Lightstar what happened anyway…"

Yarrowleaf looked at the other cats, and though she knew they were worried, it didn't feel the same…. It felt like she was responsible… and now she wasn't even going to be able to thank Dirtstorm…

* * *

_Swirlpelt awoke, looking around at nothing but Blackness and sighed. She'd fallen asleep pressed against Crimsonfire and had hoped to have a dreamless sleep, but no such luck._

_"Hello, Swirl," came Leaf's voice, and she looked up, before dipping her head._

_"Hello Leaf. Why have I come here this time?" she asked curiously, watching as the other Blackness cats joined Leaf, and gasped when she recognised one that had definitely not been there before. "Kindnest!" _

_The light tabby tom walked up, looking younger then Swirlpelt ever remembered seeing him, and smiled. "Hello, Swirl. My name is Kind that braves the heart now, but of course you can call me Kind," he insisted, leaning forward to lick Swirlpelt's head._

_"Kind has joined us, rather unfortunately," came a third voice, and Swirlpelt smiled when she saw her father. _

_"Spin, it's just good to see you again," he insisted, and the two nodded at each other. _

_"Is Kind the first clan cat SunClan has killed?" Swirlpelt asked carefully, looking around for new cats that she recognised, but there was no one._

_"No, he's just the first one that's died in Cold blood," Mist added as the cat that looked much like Azurepaw walked up. "My sister, she's well? She seems to be healing your cut fine…"_

_"Azurepaw's good…" Swirlpelt insisted, but she got the feeling they were trying to keep something from her. "Why had Kind been able to kill in cold blood?"_

_The cats in front of her looked at each other, and it was Leaf that answered first. "That story is something you'll have to wait to hear another time. Right now, I think you should tell us more about your trip so far."_

_"And more about this Crimsonfire," Spin mewed, a little weary but still with a smile in his eyes. Comfortably, Swirlpelt sat between her new family and just talked the night away._

A/N So it turns out that I seem to be going through these chapters pretty quickly. It's easy because I've got it all planned out? -shrugs- I guess we'll just see.


End file.
